Mathis der Maler

"It is an impressive opera about real issues. The Nazis banned it and the premiere took place in Zürich. The cast is strong. Wolfgang Koch, always looking grizzled and dishevelled, is a powerful Mathis. Kurt Streit as Albrecht is really impressive both as actor and singer. The veteran Franz Grundheber is a convincing Riedinger, and Charles Reid a splendidly slimy Capito, Albrecht's adviser. Manuela Uhl's Ursula is expressive but a bit shrill ... Despite the oddities of the production, the strengths of this performance outweigh the weaknesses".

Læs anmeldelse

"Recommended: I ... greeted the appearance of this recording of a well-cast Berlin stage performance of 2012 with some considerable anticipitation; and I am delighted to say that in a very large measure this recording has to my mind both vindicated the ambitions of Hindemith's work, and validated his approach to his subject ... The result is imaginative and highly atmospheric ... Wolfgang Koch in the title role has by far the greatest weight to bear, both musically and emotionally, and he rises to the occasion with singing that parallels that of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau ... Manuela Uhl as his beloved ... soon begins to fill out her lines and rises triumphantly to her charged final scenes where she shows herself prepared to sacrifice herself for the sake of peaceful resolution ... The choral singing by the Slovak Philharmonic Choir is superb ... Bertrand de Billy gives us a glorious rendition of the music, from the luminous chords at the beginning to the excoriating climaxes later ... The performance and production finally confirm my suspicions that Hindemith's Mathis der Maler is a work of the greatest importance".

Læs anmeldelse

"Recommended: I ... greeted the appearance of this video recording of a well-cast Berlin stage performance of 2012 with some considerable anticipitation; and I am delighted to say that in a very large measure this recording has to my mind both vindicated the ambitions of Hindemith's work, and validated his approach to his subject ... The result is imaginative and highly atmospheric ... Wolfgang Koch in the title role has by far the greatest weight to bear, both musically and emotionally, and he rises to the occasion with singing that parallels that of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau ... Manuela Uhl as his beloved ... soon begins to fill out her lines and rises triumphantly to her charged final scenes where she shows herself prepared to sacrifice herself for the sake of peaceful resolution ... The choral singing by the Slovak Philharmonic Choir is superb ... Bertrand de Billy gives us a glorious rendition of the music, from the luminous chords at the beginning to the excoriating climaxes later ... The performance and production finally confirm my suspicions that Hindemith's Mathis der Maler is a work of the greatest importance".

Læs anmeldelse

"It is an impressive opera about real issues. The Nazis banned it and the premiere took place in Zürich. The cast is strong. Wolfgang Koch, always looking grizzled and dishevelled, is a powerful Mathis. Kurt Streit as Albrecht is really impressive both as actor and singer. The veteran Franz Grundheber is a convincing Riedinger, and Charles Reid a splendidly slimy Capito, Albrecht's adviser. Manuela Uhl's Ursula is expressive but a bit shrill ... The costumes are nearly all modern and drab, apart from Albrecht's magnificent cardinal's robes, on his first appearance only ... Despite the oddities of the production, the strengths of this performance outweigh the weaknesses".

Læs anmeldelse

"There is much to admire in this new performance. Wolfgang Koch makes a fine Mathis, less stolid than was Hermann for Albrecht, and - dramatically - as acute as Fischer-Dieskau. The other principals acquit themselves very well, particularly Raymond Very as the peasant leader Schwalb and the sweet-toned Katerina Tretyakova as his daughter, Regina ... The Slovak Philharmonic sing with gusto ... Ultimately, this is a strong recording of a fine production".

"There is much to admire in this new performance. Wolfgang Koch makes a fine Mathis, less stolid than was Hermann for Albrecht, and - dramatically - as acute as Fischer-Dieskau. The other principals acquit themselves very well, particularly Raymond Very as the peasant leader Schwalb and the sweet-toned Katerina Tretyakova as his daughter, Regina ... The Slovak Philharmonic sing with gusto ... Ultimately, this is a strong recording of a fine production".

"Mit Bertrand de Billy steht ein sensibel formender Dirigent am Pult der grossartig motiviert spielenden Wiener Symphoniker. Der fängt die Langsamkeit und insistierende Bockigkeit dieser Musik durch Flexibilität und Klarheit auf. Getragen und beflügelt wird diese Aufführung durch den vorzüglichen Chor und die Sänger. Der resignative Wolfgang Koch als Mathis ist eine charaktervolle Wahl ... An der Spitze des sehr gut besetzten Ensembles stehen Kurt Streit als Erzbischof Albrecht mit schneidendem Tenor, Charles Reid als intriganter Capito und Franz Grundheber als Riedinger. Das Dunkeldeutsche, es dräut düsterprächtig".